State Department Releases Annual Human Rights Report, Says Abortion Isn't 'Human Right Under International Law'

The U.S. State Department on Friday released the first human rights report under the Trump administration, revealing it replaced a section previously titled "reproductive rights" that focused on access to contraception and abortion in each country.

The change from Obama-era policy involves the inclusion of a new section titled "coercion in population control," which includes issues like involuntary sterilization, the Washington Post reports.

In what is likely to be the most controversial change, the report strips a section labeled "reproductive rights" that previous reports included for every country outlining access to contraception and abortion, as well as maternal mortality rates. In its place, every country now has a section called "coercion in population control," documenting involuntary or "unethical" sterilization.

The inclusion of reproductive rights as a separate section for every country is a legacy of the Obama administration. It was introduced in the 2011 report released the following year, at the end of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

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